Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2022 May 23
   [2]The featured image shows M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, in both infrared
      light, colored orange, and visible light, colored white and blue.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                   The Once and Future Stars of Andromeda
        Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]NSF, [5]NOAJ, [6]Hubble, [7]Subaru,
     [8]Mayall, [9]DSS, [10]Spitzer; Processing & Copyright: [11]Robert
                        Gendler & [12]Russell Croman

   Explanation: This picture of Andromeda shows not only where stars are
   now, but where stars will soon be. Of course, the big, beautiful
   [13]Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is a [14]spiral galaxy -- and a mere 2.5
   million [15]light-years away. Both space-based and ground-based
   observatories have been here combined to produce [16]this intriguing
   composite image of Andromeda, at wavelengths both inside and outside
   normally visible light. The [17]visible light shows where M31's stars
   are now -- as highlighted in white and blue hues and imaged by the
   [18]Hubble, [19]Subaru, and [20]Mayall telescopes. The [21]infrared
   light shows where M31's future stars will soon form -- as highlighted
   in orange hues and imaged by NASA's [22]Spitzer Space Telescope. The
   infrared light tracks enormous [23]lanes of dust, warmed by stars,
   sweeping along Andromeda's spiral arms. This [24]dust is a tracer of
   the galaxy's vast interstellar gas -- the raw material for future
   [25]star formation. These new stars will likely form over the next
   hundred million years, surely [26]well before Andromeda [27]merges with
   our [28]Milky Way Galaxy in about 5 billion years.

                      Tomorrow's picture: visiting moon
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [40]Robert Nemiroff ([41]MTU) & [42]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([43]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [44]Specific rights apply.
              [45]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [46]ASD at [47]NASA / [48]GSFC
                           & [49]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2205/M31_HubbleSpitzerGendler_2000.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.nsf.gov/
   5. https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
   7. https://subarutelescope.org/en/
   8. https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope/
   9. https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/DSS/
  10. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
  11. http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/Biography2.html
  12. https://www.rc-astro.com/about.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_galaxy
  15. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  16. http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M31-Spitzer-New-Mouseover-M.html
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight
  18. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/about
  19. https://subarutelescope.org/en/about/
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_U._Mayall_Telescope
  21. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves
  22. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/mission/mission-overview
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211117.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html
  25. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  26. https://newtownsquarevet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Scared-cat.jpg
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120604.html
  28. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/285/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220522.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  38. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220523
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220524.html
  40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  41. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  42. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  43. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  44. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  46. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/
  48. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  49. http://www.mtu.edu/